Science and Mātauranga Māori - Week 3: Tikanga

Week 2: Pūrākau Recap

  • Last week's discussion included:

    • The Māori creation story.

    • The concepts contained within the creation Pūrākau.

    • Some parallels between Western Science and the creation Pūrākau.

    • The story of Maui and the fish.

    • Some of the navigational knowledge contained within the story of Maui and the fish.

    • The relationship between Māori astronomical knowledge, the environment, and society.

Mana

  • Definition: "prestige, authority, control, power, influence, status, spiritual power, charisma…" (Te Aka Māori Dictionary).

  • Mana is best described by times when you can "see" or "feel" it.

    • A mentor who you hope some of their "prestige" rubs off onto you.

    • When someone has does something important/impressive.

    • It is easy to appreciate the mana of a lifeguard or a paramedic who has just saved a life.

    • When you see an important artifact or are at a historically significant place.

    • A respected elder who has had significant contribution to whānau/community.

      • These people are often considered “kaumatua” in te ao Māori and are considered to have a lot of mana.

Properties of Mana

  • Mana has no absolute numerical values or units, it can only be understood in a relative sense.

  • Mana cannot be measured.

  • It is commonly considered that people can’t gauge their own mana.

  • Places, objects, and groups can have mana; it isn’t limited to individuals.

  • Some actions can be mana enhancing or mana diminishing.

    • Mana enhancing actions are typically things which benefit others.

      • Being a generous host to guests.

      • Helping your community.

      • Protecting the environment.

    • Mana diminishing actions are typically those which indicate unwillingness/inability to help others.

    • Mana can be diminished by being ignored.

Tapu

  • Definition: "be sacred, prohibited, restricted, set apart, forbidden, under atua protection" (Te Aka Māori Dictionary).

  • Tapu is a state or condition in which people, places, or objects can be.

  • When something is tapu, it is not in a state of being “normal”.

  • Some objects or places are permanently in a state of tapu such as:

    • Urupā (burial grounds).

    • Any part of the head, especially the hair.

    • Māori land court documents.

  • When something is in a state of tapu, it is considered dangerous to be treated as being mundane.

  • To ignore or disrespect the tapu of something undermines the mana behind the reason it is tapu.

Noa

  • Noa is the opposite state of tapu; when something is in a state of noa, it is safe and mundane.

  • Tapu can be removed to return a state of noa through a few different means. This process is called whakanoa (becoming noa).

    • Wai (water) is the most commonly used method.

      • In all urupā and cemeteries in Aotearoa there is always a source of water at the gate.

    • Kai (food).

      • Traditionally in pōwhiri once two groups have met and learned each others intentions, you eat together to come back to a state of noa.

    • Karakia (rites/prayer).

      • This is typically used to remove tapu from a building which is about to be opened for the first time.

    • Wāhine (women).

      • Women and anyone else who experiences menstruation have the ability to lift states of tapu, especially people who are post menopausal.

      • It is worth noting that the ideas of sex and gender in Māori culture are not easy to discuss without wider cultural understanding. The ability to lift tapu was not solely determined based on biological sex traits.

Mauri

  • Definition: "life principle, life force, vital essence, special nature, a material symbol of a life principle, source of emotions" (Te Aka Māori Dictionary).

  • Of the concepts mentioned so far, this is the hardest to define.

  • In addition to the above definition, mauri describes the attribute which distinguishes between individual independent components, and systems as a whole.

  • The mauri of places is sometimes easily felt.

    • Ngahere (bush).

      • When you are in the bush, you might see the environment around you as more than a collection of individual plants and animals. You might identify the bush as a whole, this is the mauri of the ngahere.

    • Moana (ocean).

      • When you are at the beach, you might see the ocean as more than salt water with fish in it. You might consider the ocean as more than the material which is in front of you, this is the mauri of the moana.

    • Maunga (mountains).

      • When in the presence of a mountain. You might feel the “presence” of the mountain, this is the mauri of the mountain.

Mauri and Science

  • At first glace, mauri may seem like it would be difficult to incorporate into science.

  • However, this is somewhere with strong potential for collaboration.

  • By applying mātauranga knowledge to systems which are too complex for current technology to measure as a whole, we look for new avenues to understand these systems.

  • Western scientific knowledge around connectivity, complex systems, and wider scope analysis can be improved by using knowledge from systems which have always treated these systems as wholes.

    • The Brain

    • The Ngahere

    • Data, the internet, and AI

Discussion Points

  • Can you give any examples of something/someone/somewhere which you feel as though had significant mana?

  • The process of whakanoa, removing tapu, is built around physically intangible concepts of mana and tapu. However, despite the intangible nature of these concepts, there are also direct practical benefits of this process. Can you think of some?

  • Mauri is a concept which has been explored by many cultures around the world. Can you think of examples of concepts similar to this from other cultures? Why do you think this concept might be common around the world?

  • In the TEDx talk by Tame Iti, Tame spoke about his views on the differences between mana and authority.

Kaitiakitanga

  • Definition: "guardianship, stewardship, trusteeship, trustee." (Te Aka Māori Dictionary).

  • However, this is an oversimplification of a complicated relationship.

  • Kaitiakitanga is a type of relationship built upon a mutual uplifting and preservation of mana.

  • In the context of the environment, this is relationship is often between ngā tangata (people) and te Taiao (nature).

  • Te Taiao can uplift the mana of ngā tangata by:

    • Providing shelter for us to share

    • Providing food and materials for us to share

    • Provides inspiration and beauty

    • Providing connection with both the environment, and those who have been here before us, and those who will walk here after us

  • Ngā tangata protect the mana of te taiao by:

    • Protecting te taiao against pests

    • Preserving te taiao against human development which threatens its mana and mauri

    • Teaching others about te Taiao and helping them develop connections to te taiao

    • Protecting te taiao against climate change

Kaitiakitanga

  • Kaitiakitanga, in the typical environmental context, is about the obligations of ngā tangata, specifically mana whenua (people whos mana is linked to the land) to:

    • Te taiao

      • Mana whenua are obliged to protect te taiao, their own mana and the mana of te taiao directly are impacted by this.

    • Tīpuna (Ancestors, those who came before)

      • To fail to protect te taiao, the mana of previous guardians will be deminished for not preparing the future generations well enough.

    • Future generations

      • Mana whenua must protect te taiao out of respect and compassion for those who will be kaitiaki (guardians) in the future.

      • This principle guides Māori to not think about sustainability in the scope of singular lifetimes, but on a multigenerational scale.

Discussion Points

  • Kaitiakitanga and sustainability have much in common. What differences and similarities can you think of between these two concepts?

  • In the korero between Hēmi Whaanga and Tom Roa, Tom said that a few generations ago Māori didn’t consider themselves as kaitiaki. The practices by the people were much the same but the people weren’t titled kaitiaki. Why do you think that now, we as humans have to take up the mantle of kaitiaki? Do you think this has something to do with a change in the amount of influence we have on the environment? Do you think this has arisen due to changes in societal structure in Aotearoa?

  • Tom and Hēmi discussed the differences between ownership and belonging in the context of kaitiakitanga. What are your thoughts on this?

Whakapapa

  • Definition: "to place in layers, lay one upon another, stack flat. OR genealogy, genealogical table, lineage, descent" (Te Aka Māori Dictionary)

  • Whakapapa serves many purposes. On one hand it allows us to know where things have come from and why things happen.

    • By understanding the past we can understand the present.

    • By understanding what we do today in relation to the past, we can shape how we influence the future.

    • The future will be built on today.

  • In the context of western science, whakapapa can describe cause and effect.

  • Whakapapa can also begin to describe the relationship between things.

  • [Image of Whakapapa of ngā atua]

Whakapapa

  • Through whakapapa, everything is linked. This helps to explain the relationships between things.

    • We can consider the taxonomic relationships between organisms.

    • Similarities between closely related species can be explained through whakapapa.

    • The relationships between distantly related organisms are described through the interactions of their tīpuna (ancestors) in pūrākau.

    • Whakapapa explains the relationships between non-living concepts and objects.

      • Pregnancy, volcanoes, and earthquakes can be linked through whakapapa.

      • Theft, rodents, and kumara are linked through whakapapa.

  • One of the most important ideas to come from whakapapa is that humans and human society is simply a part of nature, not separate to nature.

    • We are some of the youngest members of the whānau (family).

    • We aren’t the masters of the world around us, just another member.

    • We are related to everything around us.

  • “Whakapapa turns the universe into a moral space where all things great and small are interconnected, including science and research” (Denzin, Lincoln & Smith 2008, p. 9)

Discussion Points

  • What are your personal thoughts on the relationship between human society and nature? Do you feel that we are simply a part of nature, or that we are separate to it?

  • Whakapapa has many similarities to the western scientific school of taxonomy. What are some similarities and differences between these ideas?

  • Can you think of ways these systems might complement or clash with each other?

  • A common phrase in Te Ao Māori is “be a good ancestor”. Considering the principles we learned today, how do you think that kaitiakitanga, whakapapa, and mana all fit within this idea?